Embiid had 22 points in the Philadelphia Sixers’ 101-94 home win against Miami, and praised the Heat center (who finished with a career-high 32 points):

“Around the league there’s a lot of young big men, and I think we’re starting to come back,” said Embiid, according to the AP. “So one thing I told him is keep killing it. As big men, we all want each other to do good. I’ve always studied him in the past. It’s always been a big man league, so I want it to stay like that.”

“I don’t know who ‘they’ are. ‘They’ don’t watch basketball if it’s not centers. I don’t have a day off at the center position,” Whiteside said, as the Miami Heat turned their attention to Wednesday night’s game against Drummond and the Detroit Pistons, the third stop on this four-game trip.

On Monday night, even as he battled to a career-high 32 points, Whiteside essentially found himself trumped by the combined 37 points of Embiid (22 points) and Okafor (15) in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 101-94 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Whiteside, by contrast, got practically no support in relief at center from Josh McRoberts (two points) and Udonis Haslem (none).

“Even Embiid at the end of the game was talking about how we’re bringing back the centers,” said Whiteside, who added 13 rebounds in the loss that snapped the Heat’s tow-game winning streak and dropped them to 4-9. “And when you hear it from the players, they’re saying it, Embiid saying it, I don’t know who ‘they’ are, But they must not watch basketball, because every night I’ve got Dwight [Howard], Drummond, [DeMarcus] Cousins. I got a really good center every night. So I don’t know where these nights off are happening.”

The Wizards’ entire starting five scored in double-figures, led by John Wall’s 23 points. The Wiz opened things up in the third quarter, leading by as many as 27 points. The Knicks stormed back to score 47 in the fourth, eventually trailing 108-98 with 2:37 to play, but Wall scored two buckets and hit four free throws to secure the win. Otto Porter scored 21 and Derrick Rose scored a season-high 27, including a two-handed dunk.

Heat 96 (3-8), Bucks 73 (5-6)

After losing six straight games, Dion Waiters stepped up for Miami. He led the Heat back from a 14-point deficit, eventually helping his squad blowout the Bucks. Waiters had 23, Hassan Whiteside stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks and 2 steals, and Josh Richardson added 18. The Bucks shot just 32% and scored only 11 points in the fourth.

Rockets 126 (7-5), Blazers 109 (7-6)

Is James Harden the best player in the NBA? The stats and the eye test have us leaning towards yes. The Beard registered his third triple-double of the season tonight, scoring 26 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out 14 assists tonight against Portland. The Rockets jumped out to 41 points in the first, but the Blazers tied it up at halftime. Then the Rockets outscored Portland by 17 in the third and never looked back. CJ McCollum led the Blazers with 26.

Wolves 110 (4-7), Sixers 86 (2-10)

This one was never a contest. The Wolves led by as many as 33. Behind a combined 60 points from Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota dominated every aspect, getting more rebounds, more assists and blocks, and fewer turnovers. They held the Sixers to 37% shooting. Oh yeah, and KAT taught Joel Embiid a lesson.

Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade stepped up late for Chicago. The Bulls somehow overcame 29% shooting in the first half to take over the game in the second half. There were only 19 combined assists in this game. The absence of Rajon Rondo (left ankle sprain) and George Hill (right thumb sprain) was definitely felt. The teams were 63-168 from the field, only making 5 three-pointers each.

Butler and Wade scored 9 of Chicago’s 19 fourth quarter points. Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward were locked up, shooting a combined 8-31. Not only were the Jazz without Hill, they were also missing Derrick Favors, who’s suffering from a left knee bone contusion.

Things definitely got a little bit dusty during Dwyane Wade’s first game against the Heat. The franchise he spent 13 years with made a touching video tribute for D-Wade, who said it was “the weirdest game I’ve ever played in.”

Hassan Whiteside recorded his third 20-20 game, the most in Heat-history and Justise Winslow had his fingerprints all over the game with 15 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 20, but was helped by a total team effort. Robin Lopez and Rajon Rondo each scored 16 points, and Doug McDermott and Wade contributed 13 a piece.

Pelicans 112 (1-8), Bucks 106 (4-4)

The Pelicans finally got their first win of the season behind 32 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks from Anthony Davis. Davis had to fend off a big night from Jabari Parker and his season-high 33 points. Tim Frazier had a strong game for the Pels, with 15 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds. By the way, Jabari has been flying lately.

Stephen Curry continued his hot start streak. After scorching the Pels for 46 in his last game, the Chef cooked up a 33 point effort. He and the Warriors were on the lookout for highlights. They filled the stat sheet up. Along with Curry’s 33, Klay Thompson had 19, Kevin Durant had 18 and Draymond Green had 13, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. The Dubs had 15 steals and 33 assists on 46 field goals. Rookies Jamal Murray and Malik Beasley led the Nuggets in scoring, registering 14 and 12 points, respectively.

The Lakers made their run in the third quarter. Larry Nance Jr.’s energy and versatility was one of the driving forces in the purple and gold erasing a 19-point deficit. Then Lou Williams and Nick Young stepped up in the fourth to put the Kings away for good.

DeMarcus Cousins started off hot, but the Lakers repeatedly doubled him late in the game, playing him as physical as the refs would allow. He had 28 points and 9 ‘bounds, but as usual didn’t get much help.

The Lakers, meanwhile, continue to play as a team. With Timofey Mozgov controlling the paint, Julius Randle and Nance Jr. wreaking havoc, and D’Angelo Russell getting buckets, this was their fourth win out of their last five games. Luke Walton’s making a bid for Coach of the Month.

Bradley Beal owns one of the prettiest jumpers in the League and he used that as a threat to take the Hawks defenders to the rim. He ended the game with 14 free throws, connecting on 13 of those. He even rose up for a big two-handed dunk on his way to a season-high 28 points. The game was close throughout and the Wizards grabbed the W after Kyle Korver’s (1-6 from three) potential game-tying three was tipped by Markieff Morris. Dwight Howard and Dennis Schroder put up 20 points a piece for the Hawks.

What’s good with DeMar DeRozan? Buddy’s scored at least 30 points in every game he’s played this season, racking up 34 tonight. Like he’s done since the ’16-’17 campaign started, DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with his assortment of spins and pump fakes and midrange jimmies. Thanks to Hassan Whiteside, the Heat jumped out to an early double-digit lead, but Terrence Ross came off the bench to score 20 and completely change the momentum. The Raptors were able to hold on despite Whiteside’s 21 points and 16 boards.

A game after torching the Pistons for 34, Brook Lopez came out strong again in this one. After the first, he had 12 points and two three-pointers, causing Hornets coach Steve Clifford to bench Cody Zeller for much of the night. But the Nets were without Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez and Randy Foye, all of whom have at least had some experience guarding Kemba Walker. Nets rookie Isaiah Whitehead tried, and he had a pretty good game, but he couldn’t hold Walker. The Bronx-native stormed into Barclays and gave the Nets a 30-piece. Time and again he hit daggers, teasing the Nets every time they made the contest a one-possession game. Lopez finished with 18.

Knicks 117 (2-3), Bulls 104 (3-2)

Dwyane Wade really put on a Bulls uniform and became a damn good three-pointer shooter. The artist formerly known as Flash went 5-7 from distance tonight. He registered a season-high 35 points and even pulled down 10 rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 26, too. But the Knicks got a convincing win in Chicago. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, in their first appearance as visitors at the United Center, were great for the Knicks. Rose had 15 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds, Noah had 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Kristaps Porzingis discovered his shot, putting up 27. Along with 25 from Carmelo Anthony and 17 from Courtney Lee, the Knicks took the game’s momentum. And though Rose received some boos, nothing threw him off in his return home.

Even at 31-years-old, Chris Paul can still go. He put up a monster 27 points, 11 assists, 6 steals, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He also became the Clippers all-time leader in assists, passing Randy Smith. Mike Conley had 30 points and 10 dimes and Vince Carter passed Elgin Baylor on the all-time field goals list, but the Grizzlies were sloppy with the ball, committing 19 turnovers.

Suns 112 (2-4), Pelicans 111 (0-6)

This kid Devin Booker’s got a bright future. He had a career-high 38 tonight, demanding the ball in the clutch, hitting the shot to send the game to OT. He didn’t even knock down a ridiculous amount of triples. He operated with the ball and got to the line for 9 shots, hitting all of ’em. With help from Eric Bledsoe, who had 17, and TJ Warren, who made the game-winner, the Suns handed the Pels yet another loss. Anthony Davis and co. also started 0-6 last season. Davis had 22 and 11 in the loss.

Damian Lillard is on a mission to prove himself. We at SLAM pride ourselves on knowing that Dame is a bad man, but this game wasn’t for us. This game was for people who (somehow) still doubt that it’s always #LillardTime. #0 scored 27 of his 42 points in the second half, when the Blazers needed him most. CJ McCollum had foul trouble for most of the game and the Mavs were hanging around until Lillard ended all of that, scoring 18 of Portland’s 25 points during a stretch between the third and fourth quarter. The Mavs announced after the game that Dirk Nowitzki will be out at least a week to manage a sore right Achilles. This is the first time in their franchise history that the Mavs have started a season 0-5.

The Jazz beat the Spurs in San Antonio earlier this week, getting better as that game went on. But after the Jazz started tonight’s game with a 10-2 lead, it was Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs that got better as the game went on. They hit back with a 29-7 run that effectively ended the game. Leonard continued his stellar play, finishing with 29 points on 9-18 shooting. He also had 11 rebounds. Rodney Hood had 18 for the Jazz, but he didn’t get much help.

Lakers 117 (3-3), Warriors 97 (4-2)

This game looked a lot like the last time these teams met. The Warriors came out flat and the Lakers wasted no time pouncing on them. Behind Lou Williams’ bravery, purple and gold’s youngins’ used their athletisicm, height and fresh legs to punish the Dubs. The Lakers won the rebounding battle and got 64 points in the paint. They were relentless, forcing the Warriors into 20 turnovers. Williams and Julius Randle had 20, D’Angelo Russell had 17, Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. had 12. Stephen Curry’s streak of 257 consecutive games with at least one made three came to end. He shot 0-10 from downtown. Klay Thompson was 2-10 from deep. Kevin Durant scored 27 in the losing effort.

The two squads also locked arms during the national anthem in a show of unity.

Per the AP:

The 24-year-old Fernandez and two friends died last month when the boat they were riding in crashed into a jetty off Miami Beach.

“It was a devastating blow to all of us in South Florida and our hearts go out to his family and everybody at the Marlins,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s just so tragic for a player so young. We also want to acknowledge the other two gentlemen who were on that boat as well, and their families.”

(Marlins second baseman Dee) Gordon told Fox Sports Florida during their broadcast of the game that when he heard about the gesture — the Heat announced it a few hours before game time — he made arrangements to be at the game. Gordon wore one of the team’s shooting shirts with the Fernandez tribute on the back. […] “He was the heart and soul of Miami. … It’s just still weird that he’s gone,” Gordon said. “That’s just the part we’re trying to get over, but I think it’s going to be tough.”

Welcome, Mr. Whiteside. From our #SLAMfam to you, we’d like to say, congratulations! You did it, you made it onto the SLAM Top 50. And man, was it a journey getting here.

Before this superb debut—surely, one of the high points in his career—Hassan Whiteside had to build a name for himself. Sounds a little odd since everyone knows his name now. He’s the face of the Miami Heat. The center who signed a four-year, $98 million contract with Pat Riley this summer. The big man who dunks and blocks showing off his 7-7 wingspan like a machine. Snapchat King, The Hassan Whiteside!

But the road to this newfound stardom wasn’t an easy one, or even a quick one. Sure, after the Heat signed him in November 2014, it took only a couple months for everyone to know the name Hassan Whiteside. A triple-double in 24 minutes during a nationally televised game against the Chicago Bulls certainly helped.

But I’m talking before that.

Before that, Whiteside was one of seven siblings in a rural Gastonia, NC, home. He jumped from high school to high school before attending Marshall University, where he played one year with the Thundering Herd.

In his freshman and only season at Marshall, Whiteside broke the record for total blocks by a first-year player. He averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.4 blocks per game, and soon after entered his name in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Sacramento Kings selected him early in the second round with the 33rd pick, and thus, Whiteside’s life-long dream of making it to the NBA finally came true.

Or so he thought.

In his first few years after the Draft, Whiteside went from the Kings to the D-League teams, Reno Bighorns, Sioux City Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, to China to Lebanon to China again, and back to yet another D-League team, Iowa Energy.

Then, the Miami Heat gave him a chance and never looked back. After his triple-double against the Bulls, Whiteside’s applaudable play kept on strong. Despite playing in only 48 games, he finished fourth in Most Improved Player voting at the end of the 2015 season and continued his consistent numbers for Miami last year.

He averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and a League-best 3.7 blocks last season. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second-Team. He made his post-season debut with another double-double.

Soon everyone knew who Hassan Whiteside was—a big guy doing big things for the Miami Heat. If you didn’t know, you were totally out of the basketball hoop, uh, loop.

Now with the 2015-16 season ahead of him, and mad bank in his pocket, Hassan Whiteside truly needs to be the face of the Heat. Dwyane Wade is out in Chicago, and Chris Bosh’s health unfortunately doesn’t make it seem like he’ll be back on the court soon. It’s a new era in South Beach and Young Whiteside is up for the task.

Toward the close of the email, Arison wrote: “What won’t change is the culture of this organization. The Miami HEAT is a Championship organization. I fully expect this team, from Pat Riley to Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, to our veterans Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Goran Dragic and Josh McRoberts, to our returning young core of Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson, to the fresh faces joining the HEAT Family to continue our mantra of being the ‘hardest working, best conditioned, most professional, unselfish, toughest, meanest, nastiest team in the NBA.'”

(Bosh) traveled on Arison’s private plane to Heat playoff games this spring but remained sidelined, despite a desire to return. Heat President Pat Riley said last month a decision on Bosh’s playing future likely would be addressed this month or next month, with the Heat opening training camp the last week of September.

The summer of 2016 has seen more player movement than ever before. Undoubtedly influenced by the massive salary cap increase, players and teams have been making important decisions regarding their future.

We’ve broken down the NBA free-agent signings into two categories: “On The Move” and “Staying Put”. There’s a number of ways we could have done it, but players leaving and players staying is about as basic (and intuitive) as it gets.

Below is a comprehensive look at the agreements made since the free-agency period began at midnight on July 1. Just remember, everything is just a verbal agreement until the moratorium period ends on July 7.

Let us know in the comments who you think has had the best and worst offseason so far!

The big fella met with Miami, Dallas and New York before announcing his decision.

Per the AP:

It is life-changing money after a breakout season. Whiteside will be signing a contract worth roughly 100 times more than what he made this past season, when he averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and a league-best 3.7 blocked shots per game. His career path is well-known, taking him to less-than-glamorous leagues in Lebanon and China, stints in the NBA Development League and even getting cut from teams at that level.

The Heat signed him in November 2014, and less than two years later Whiteside has become one of the game’s most dominant centers — and one of the highest-paid players in Miami franchise history.

Part of that is simply because of the enormous jump in the salary cap this summer, but part of that is because of the potential the Heat see in Whiteside. What he did this past season left such an impression on Heat President Pat Riley that the nine-time NBA champion went into this summer stating publicly that keeping Whiteside was Miami’s No. 1 priority. […] If that truly was the case, then keeping Dwyane Wade had to be priority No. 1A. It took a $20 million deal for the Heat to keep Wade this past season, and negotiations on a new deal haven’t gone particularly well so far.

Throughout their illustrious history, the Los Angeles Lakers have coveted dominant big men and some of the best in the game’s history have made their way to Hollywood at one point or another. Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and to a lesser extent, Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum have all donned purple and gold.

Like most teams, the Lakers have cap room. And they are reportedly trying to spend it on free agent Hassan Whiteside, who appears ready to field their offer.

On Friday, Whiteside posted a cryptic message on Snapchat, “I’m a businessman that plays basketball.” Saturday afternoon, ESPN reported that the Lakers plan to aggressively pursue him when free agency begins.

Whether this would be a good move for the Lakers is unclear. Los Angeles needs a center, but it needs help in a lot of places. Whiteside is a talented shot blocker and rim protector, but he’s been far from a model of consistency. He’s also had problems staying healthy. He sat out most of the second-round series against Toronto with a knee injury and he played only 48 games in 2014-15. Overpaying injury-prone players is part of what got the Lakers into this mess in the first place.

Then again, beggars can’t be choosers. The Lakers went 17-65 last season, and while prized rookie Brandon Ingram and talented second-year standout D’Angelo Russell present hope for the future, the team as currently constructed is a long shot for the playoffs. The lure of the championship banners, the history and the purple and gold may no longer be enough to score a meeting with superstars, let alone sign them. That the Lakers no longer have false hope might be good for their future, as they can move on to more realistic targets.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/report-lakers-will-aggressively-pursue-hassan-whiteside/feed/0SLAMonlineHassan Whiteside Out for Game 5 in Torontohttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/hassan-whiteside-out-for-game-5-in-toronto/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/hassan-whiteside-out-for-game-5-in-toronto/#respondTue, 10 May 2016 19:45:00 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=397543

The Miami Heat announced Tuesday that center Hassan Whiteside will not travel with the team to Toronto for their Game 5 battle with the Raptors. Whiteside has been out since

The Miami Herald has learned from a league source that it is a first degree, or least severe, sprain.

The Heat will know more after Whiteside’s swelling and bruising subsides, and he can take a stability test — likely later this week — to see how he responded to rest and treatment. […] After that, it’s mostly about how he can handle the pain, which can be significant, that comes with the injury. And he would need to wear a special brace.

So Heat fans shouldn’t expect this series, but the next one against Cleveland would be possible, if the Heat gets that far.

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside was in foul mood Monday night following the Miami Heat’s loss in Game 4 to the Charlotte Hornets, and blamed the referees for losing control of the series which is now deadlocked at two games apiece.

Whiteside had missed a pair of practices due to a bruised right thigh, and foul trouble limited him to just 25 minutes of burn.

Per the Sun-Sentinel:

“I don’t know man, it’s looking like the flop-offs to me,” Whiteside said after foul trouble in Monday night’s 89-85 loss at Time Warner Cable Arena dropped the Heat into a 2-2 tie in this best-of-seven opening-round NBA playoff series. “The refs just got to watch for people flopping.”

Whiteside said between Hornets guard Jeremy Lin flailing his arms to draw fouls and Charlotte center Cody Zeller toppling at the slightest of contact, the whistles in the series have his ears buzzing. […] “I don’t know, man. I really don’t,” he said. “I don’t even have an answer for it. I don’t know.”

On the eve of the series, an extensive piece in The New York Times chronicled a viral video, titled “Jeremy Lin: Too Flagrant Not to Call,” detailing a perceived lack of respect when it comes to foul calls for Lin. […] Since then, Lin has taken at least six free throws in three of the series first four games, including shooting 8 of 9 from the line in Monday’s Game 4. For his part, (Goran) Dragic has done so only once, including no free throws in Game 4.

Dwyane Wade (28 points) and Hassan Whiteside (17 points on a franchise playoff-record 8 for 8 from the field) led the way for Miami in Game 2.

The Hornets may be without Nicolas Batum for the remainder of the series due to an ankle injury.

Per the AP:

The Heat have averaged 119 points in the first two games of the series, which shifts to Charlotte for Game 3 on Saturday night. […] “You want to be able to get stops, you want to be able to put some runs together,” Wade said. “And we did that. We didn’t play a perfect game, by no stretch of the imagination. We’ve got a lot of things that we can get better at — that we need to get better at.”

Goran Dragic scored 18 points, Luol Deng finished with 16 and Josh Richardson added 15 for Miami, which had 72 points by halftime and never trailed in the second half. Whiteside added 13 rebounds and is now shooting 17 for 19 in the series, his playoff debut.

Nic Batum left with 10:43 remaining after spraining his left ankle, heading straight to the locker room for examination and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the night. (Steve) Clifford said he was “very” concerned about Batum going forward, and (Al) Jefferson said he doesn’t expect Batum to return to the series.

There wasn’t a shred of positivity from Whiteside about that, not after setting the award as his goal for the season and leading the league in blocked shots by a giant margin. […] “Nothing to talk about,” he said. “I came out there and I put up stats y’all ain’t seen in a decade. Ain’t nothing to talk about. Man, I expected to get overlooked. My whole life I’ve been overlooked. I’m used to it.”

So there was no satisfaction whatsoever in at least being in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year? […] “I guess I’m thankful,” he said. “I’m happy I’m there, I guess. I don’t know. I’m not really.”

In his first full NBA season, Whiteside blocked an NBA-best 269 shots for the highest single-season total in eight years. His 3.7 per game was the highest average since Theo Ratliff in 2000-01. He had three games of double-digit blocks. […] “I never get any credit for anything I do,” he said. “It is what it is, bro. You put up historic numbers in blocks—What would you do?”

The Heat destroyed the Hornets in Game 1 of their opening round series on Sunday, 123-91. Luol Deng led the way with 31 points, but Hassan Whiteside was a huge part of the W, too. The big man got the starting nod and finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Whiteside’s big dunks had the Heat benched turnt up—evidence in the video above and the tweets below:

Following a 98-81 victory over the Knicks on a late-February Sunday, it’s business as usual in the Heat locker room. In the middle of the team’s road trip, the veteran roster isn’t blasting music or wasting time with small talk, instead showering and dressing quickly. While the media surrounds former Brooklyn Net Joe Johnson after his first game with the team, Hassan Whiteside fits his impossibly long 7-foot frame into a small corner of the visiting MSG locker room. The 26-year-old is in a good mood after a 16-point, 11-rebound, 2-block performance and brushes off a back-and-forth jawing with courtside regulars Fat Joe and Spike Lee after he hit a smooth fadeaway baseline jumper.

Before he bounces, Whiteside slides on a pair of Jordan Xs, daps up a few members of the Heat staff and grabs a plate of food. All the while, a smile never leaves his face.

Whiteside has a lot to be happy about these days. Since his one-game suspension stemming from an altercation with Spurs behemoth Boban Marjanovic, the big man has embraced his role off the bench and averaged an eye-widening 18.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 3.8 blocks since the All-Star break. As of this writing, Miami is 8-2 in that span, and with Chris Bosh sidelined again, Miami’s center holds the key to post-season success. Word to DJ Khaled.

The fact that Whiteside is even being mentioned in this magazine, let alone as a major part of the Heat’s Playoff run, is downright astonishing. As a child in Gastonia, NC, he suffered freak injuries that would keep most kids off the court for life. There were the 68 stitches in his leg after rough housing with his older brother Danney. A broken leg and a growth plate separated from his knee suffered after being hit by a car, requiring surgery and a defibrillator to wake him up.

“Me and my brothers, we used to go on adventures,” laughs Hassan about the injuries.

His high school career saw him bounce between six high schools before concluding at The Patterson School in North Carolina. He drew interest from high-major programs Kentucky and NC State but ultimately committed to mid-major Marshall.

In his freshman year, Whiteside averaged an eye-popping 5.4 bpg before declaring for the 2010 Draft. Selected 33rd overall by the Sacramento Kings, the raw Whiteside was assigned to the Reno Bighorns by the end of November. Once he was called back up by Sacramento in early 2011, he suffered a partially torn tendon in his left knee and was sidelined for the rest of the year. Whiteside’s rookie year total stat line read two minutes played, 0 points and 2 fouls.

Whiteside appeared in just 18 games with Sacramento in ’11-12. At the end of the season he was waived. With a roster full of young guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans, there was little veteran leadership to show Hassan the ropes of NBA life.

“I had to deal with everything on my own, really,” he recalls. “I had a few older guys talk to me but we was a young team so it was tough.”

The tough times, unfortunately, would last a while longer.

The 2012-13 season took Whiteside literally around the world. After bouncing around the D-League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he agreed to join Lebanon’s Amchit Club in April 2013. By the end of May, Whiteside was out of Lebanon and in China to play for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the NBL. There, the big man enjoyed the best ball of his career to that point, averaging 25.7 ppg, 16.6 rpg and 5.1 bpg. He also took home Defensive POY, Center of the Year and Finals MVP as the Blue Whales won the NBL Championship.

In November 2013, Whiteside was back in Lebanon, then back to China in April 2014.

Whiteside’s experience in the Middle East proved a reality check. As he hooped inside, tension in the streets was high and violence wasn’t uncommon. “I felt scared sometimes because you’re hearing car bombs and you see people die,” he says. “It put everything in perspective.”

After 17 games with the Jiangsu Tongxi Monkey Kings in China, Hassan was done with international ball.

That summer Whiteside returned to North Carolina, where he trained and played pickup at a local YMCA. Four years into his career and he was in basketball purgatory, a vicious cycle of D-League stints, 10-day contracts and seasons spent in hard-to-pronounce cities on the other side of the world. Based on the odds and track record of players in his situation, it would take a small miracle for Hassan to play in the NBA again.

The rest of 2014 was a whirlwind. Instead of heading back overseas—where he had big money offers—Whiteside remained in the States. Between September and November, he was signed and waived by the Grizzlies, signed by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, traded to the Iowa Energy and re-signed and waived by Memphis before rejoining the Energy. Hassan hadn’t touched an NBA floor since April 12, 2012, but was putting up big numbers with the Energy. In the time since his rookie year, he also bulked up, going from a 227-pound 20-year-old to a 265-pound man.

On Nov. 22, 2014, Whiteside put up 24 points, 16 boards and 4 blocks against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s D-League affiliate. The next day, Chris Andersen went down with a nasty ankle sprain and Miami suddenly needed a shot blocker. Already familiar with Whiteside thanks to a 2012 workout, the Heat signed Hassan on Nov. 24.

As a coach, GM and president, Pat Riley has had the patience and wherewithal to take second-round picks and guys playing in lesser leagues and turn them into important role players, NBA All-Stars and champions. He did it with the late Anthony Mason and John Starks on the Knicks and plugged in countless players alongside LeBron, Wade and Bosh. None, however, have been as dominant as Whiteside.

“The first time I met Pat Riley I thought, he’s a winner,” says Whiteside. “He told me in 2012 I was going to get bigger and stronger and better. It’s amazing. I have to tip my hat to Pat Riley. Everything he’s done for me has been amazing and everything he’s done throughout his career has been amazing. That’s why he is who he is.”

On Jan. 4, 2015, Whiteside notched his first double-double. A week later, he put together an absurd 23-point, 16-rebound, 2-block performance in a win against the Clippers. Post-game, he took the opportunity to call out every team—and Doc Rivers in particular—that passed on him.

“I got a chip on my shoulder,” he told Heat broadcaster Jason Jackson. “Every other team in the NBA said no to me, especially [the Clippers]. I couldn’t even get a training camp invite. The Clippers thought it was a good idea—Doc said no. I tried to get a workout here—Doc said no.”

On Jan. 25, 2015, Whiteside went viral. After killing the Bulls with a 14-point, 13-rebound, 12-block triple-double, he told ESPN reporter Heather Cox that he was, “just trying to get [his] NBA2K rating up.” The clip sent Twitter wild.

From playing in far corners of the world to being a household name, Hassan was a feel-good story for the Heat, one they needed after Bosh’s scary bout with blood clots and the team missing the Playoffs. But somewhere along the way, perception of Whiteside changed and the suddenly dominant center became a target.

In 100-plus games with the Heat over two seasons, Whiteside has had violent altercations with Kelly Olynyk, Alex Len and Marjanovic, publicly feuded with Draymond Green on Twitter, been ripped by Dwyane Wade for being “selfish,” criticized for his poor free-throw shooting (he’s hitting at an impressive 82.9 percent clip since All-Star) and shown poor body language when benched by Spo for fourth quarters. Early this season, more than a few bloggers were quick to point out that the numbers showed the Heat were better defensively with him off the floor, even though he’s a prolific shot-blocker. Off-court, critics point to his relationship with the equally fascinating Khaled, alleged aloofness and engagement on social media as distractions.

Because of this, Whiteside has become one of the most polarizing players in the L. The numbers he’s putting up for a $980,000 salary make him the second-most underpaid player in the L—the first is Stephen Curry, by far—but the questions surrounding him made him a buzzworthy name at the trade deadline (rumors Pat Riley called “bullshit”). With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Whiteside is in line for a massive contract, but there is wide speculation that the Heat will let him walk.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who covered the Heat through the LeBron era, came out and said on the “Lowe Post” podcast with his colleague Zach Lowe that, “[Hassan is] absolutely not a Heat player. His style of play, his personality and the way he goes about his business is not congruent with the way the Heat normally go about themselves.”

Whiteside is well aware of what is being said about him in the media and has answers for his critics. For those who point to the Heat’s defensive numbers with him on the bench: “Everybody that said them numbers is talking different now. That was at the beginning of the season when we were trying to figure things out. When you look at the last 20-30 games, it’s better when I’m on the court.”

For those who disapprove of his legendary Snapchat use, attitude and relationship with Khaled: “A lot of times I’m just chilling at home or at Khaled’s house and we just watch and talk basketball. It’s not like I’m at the club ’til 3 or 4, drunk on TMZ. I’m having a good time but not doing anything bad.”

For those who claim he’s not a “Heat player”: “People are trying to nitpick and find bad things about me to try and figure out why I wasn’t in the NBA for so long. It comes with the territory. There’s nobody in the NBA that people aren’t going to say something bad about. They’ll always look for negative stuff. I love Miami.”

As the season wears on, his teammates have publicly had his back. “His impact is huge,” says PG Goran Dragic. “He’s a rebounding machine, a shot-blocking machine, [and] he’s doing unbelievable things, especially for me. When he’s setting those screens, he opens the floor a lot for me and if his guy steps up and defends, the lob to Hassan is open. It’s awesome to play with this kind of player, who gives you a lot of options.”

Whiteside is young, talented and about to be rich as hell. He also isn’t a cookie-cutter NBA star, which makes people uncomfortable. As his role expands, Whiteside knows all he has to do is help the Heat win and a big payday in his future will come.

“We’re worried about winning, and that’s what Pat has said: Win and everything will take care of itself.”

—

Peter Walsh is an Editorial Assistant at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @Peter_M_Walsh.

The Pistons secured their first playoff berth in seven years thanks to a 39-point outburst from Reggie Jackson and 17 from Tobias Harris. Despite the momentous victory, Andre Drummond scored just eight points with six boards, and was benched for much of the fourth quarter.

“I gave him a chance, but he missed the first two, and I had a better option on the bench,” said Van Gundy, who dragged Drummond into the postgame celebration. “He’s really frustrated with the whole thing, having to come out of the game. This is a kid who is an All-Star, and he can’t help his team because of one thing he does poorly.”

Meanwhile, Friday’s loss officially eliminated Washington from playoff contention, capping a disappointing season for the Wizards.

And with a minute to go, the Wizards are down 12 and Nene airballs a shot. Not the way they wanted to end the season. #WizardsTalk

The focus was on Kobe Bryant in the Black Mamba’s final night playing in New Orleans. The Pelicans honored Bryant with a pre-game video package, celebrating his finest moments against the Hornets and Pelicans.

It would be Alexis Ajinca, however, who would steal the show at the Smoothie King Center, tallying 28 points with 15 boards for Alvin Gentry’s Pelicans. D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson would spearhead L.A.’s offense with a combined 58 points in the loss.

Nets 99 (21-58), Hornets 113 (46-33)

Kemba Walker scored 22 and Troy Daniels added 17 in the fourth game of Charlotte’s season sweep of Brooklyn. There are still playoff implications through the remainder of Charlotte’s season; the Hornets are knotted up with Miami for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and can finish as high as third place.

Heat 109 (46-33), Magic 112 (34-45)

A rim-rocking dunk from Nikola Vucevic with 20 seconds left in regulation would secure victory for Orlando, handing Miami defeat despite a double-double (16 boards, 13 points) from Hassan Whiteside. The tightly-contested game featured 23 lead changes and 11 ties, in addition to this incredible sequence from Elfrid Payton.

Coaching issues notwithstanding, the Knicks managed a much-needed win over Philadelphia thanks to a combined 44 points from Robin Lopez and Carmelo Anthony. The 76ers received a career-high 30 point effort from Robert Covington, but just eight combined points from all bench players. Philadelphia may be without a GM, but at least they can take solace in this huge alley-oop from Nerlens Noel:

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 27 points weren’t enough to propel Milwaukee to victory over the red-hot Celtics, as Boston has now won four straight in their quest for the third-seed in the Eastern Conference. Tyler Zeller came off the bench to score 26, Isaiah Thomas added 20, and Marcus Smart notched a long-distance dime with this Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half.

Norman Powell scored a career-high 27 points, Delon Wright tallied 19, and Cory Joseph added 18 as Toronto’s reserve squad prevented Indiana from securing a playoff berth. The Pacers don’t appear to be in any real danger of missing the playoffs; Chicago remains three games behind Indiana in the cellar of the Eastern Conference, and the Pacers are set to face sub-.500 competition through the regular season (Nets, Knicks, Bucks).

Dirk Nowitzki and Justin Anderson combined for 40 points as Dallas further cemented their claim for the seventh-seed of the Western Conference. Despite the victory, coach Rick Carlisle and the Mavs will await J.J. Barea’s test results (departed game in first quarter) with bated breath.

J.J. Barea is done for the night. He tried to play through a strained right groin but decision was made to pull him. Huge blow for Mavs.

Coach Gregg Popovich rolled out the B-squad to end all B-squads, resting Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Boris Diaw, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Danny Green. Despite this, the lowly Nuggets were given a run for their money, as Denver required 20-plus point efforts from Jusuf Nurkic and Emmanuel Mudiay to secure a tight victory. JaKarr Sampson, who was waived by Philadelphia in February to make room for journeyman Joel Anthony, is starting to look like a nice pick-up. The 23-year-old dropped 16 points, four boards, and two steals on San Antonio.

A clutch Cole Aldrich swat sent Friday’s game to overtime, where Jamal Crawford (30 points), Paul Pierce (4-of-5 from downtown), and Jeff Green (18 points) put Utah away. The Jazz now hold a slim one-game lead over Houston at the bottom of the Western Conference.

It may not have been intentional, but this tackle by Doug McDermott on Hassan Whiteside is amazing in so may ways:

1) McDermott, who wouldn’t hurt a flee, takes down one of the biggest players in the League.
2) Whiteside doesn’t retaliate, despite his rep for rash behavior.
3) We now have another pun for Doug’s last name: “McTackle.”

Hassan Whiteside on the McDermott tackle: "I got sacked for a loss of 5."

The T-Wolves haven’t been able to produce a successful 2015-16 campaign on the whole, but the team’s young talent played to their potential in a back-and-forth 2OT victory over Washington. Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine combined for 52 points, while Gorgui Dieng hit a game-tying trey in a win that bumped the Wizards to 3.5 games behind the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference.

Despite an impressive 22-point, 16-assist night from John Wall, and 26 points from Bradley Beal, this may be remembered as the loss that (unofficially) eliminated the Wizards from playoff contention.

“Pretty devastating,” Wall said of the loss. “We know how important it was. Probably the game of the year.”

“It’s a horrible loss, just plain and simple,” Beal said. “There’s no explanation about it. We shouldn’t have lost that game.”

Mavericks 120 (35-37), Warriors 128 (65-7)

Stephen Curry and the Warriors presented David Lee with his 2014-15 championship ring before the game, showing respect to the role player who averaged 7.9 points with 5.2 rebounds last season in Golden State.

Once the game started, however, it was business as usual for the Warriors, as Klay Thompson lit up Dallas for 40 points while Steph Curry (33 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) did Steph Curry things. With the W, Golden State has now set the all-time NBA record for most three-pointers (934) in a season.

The Lakers weren’t without moral victories in Friday’s defeat. Julius Randle posted an improbable triple-double, recording 13 points with 18 boards and 10 dimes. What’s more, Kobe Bryant looked his old self, adding 28 points on 45.4 percent shooting. The Nuggets’ second unit poured it on, however, as Will Barton, Jusuf Nurkic, and D.J. Augustin combined for 54 points in Denver’s second consecutive W. D’Angelo Russell, who departed the game with an apparent ankle injury, may not miss time due to the ailment.

D’Angelo Russell has a moderate sprain of his right ankle. X-Rays were negative. He’s out for tonight, will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

The Pistons maintained their grasp on the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference, riding Marcus Morris and KCP’s combined 41 points to their fifth-straight W. Forgoing a conventional rotation, Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford gave minutes to each of his 13 players, yielding mixed results. Kemba Walker dropped 29 points, but the team shot 39.8 percent overall while getting out-rebounded 62-42.

Goran Dragic completed his first dunk as a member of the Heat, capturing the imagination of those in attendance at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside continues to make a case for a max contract, as the big man notched 26 points with 12 boards off the bench, helping Miami improve to a 3-1 mark over their last four games.

Bucks 90 (30-43), Hawks 101 (43-40)

The Hawks were seemingly dunking at will against the scuffling Bucks, as Milwaukee fell to a dismal 9-29 on the road this season. Jeff Teague’s 12 fourth quarter points helped solidify Atlanta’s second straight victory.

NBA officials showed birthday boy Kyle Lowry no love, ejecting the two-time All-Star in the final moments of the fourth quarter. The Rockets narrowly held on to victory despite a triple-double from James Harden and a 21-point showing from Michael Beasley.

Grizzlies 104 (41-32), Spurs 110 (61-11)

Another night, another Spurs victory at home. Coach Gregg Popovich’s squad remained perfect at the AT&T Center despite 20 points from JaMychal Green and 17 from Lance Stephenson. With Patty Mills and Danny Green each receiving nights of rest, Kyle Anderson and Kevin Martin each received extended looks.

33-year-old Kevin Martin is the youngest player on the court right now for the Spurs.

DeMarcus Cousins led the way in Sacramento’s rout of the Suns, as Boogie totaled 29 points with 11 boards while Willie Cauley-Stein pitched in with a career-high 26 points. Seth Curry scored 12 points, including this smooth floater early on:

Whiteside, 26, is headed into free agency this summer and will command a large contract on the open market.

Riley says he’s never seen a player turn his career around the way Whiteside has.

Per the Palm Beach Post:

Whiteside is finishing the final months of a deal that pays him under $1 million this season and is set to hit a huge payday this summer. The guy who was training at the Charlotte YMCA in 2014 could be looking at a four-year, $80 million contract.

“I’ve never been around that kind of turnaround,” team president Pat Riley said this afternoon. “We’ve had some players that we’ve opened our eyes up on, but I think what Hassan did last year and what he’s doing now, his level of play– it’s just all about more experience, more reps, understanding how important he is for us. […] But in my 50 years in the NBA, I have never seen that kind of phenomenon. I know this is hurting me right now as far as his free agency goes because I’m complimenting him, but he’s grown a lot.”

Whiteside has been playing off the bench since early February, but has continued his run as the most dominant shot blocker in the league. He leads the NBA by wide margin with 226 blocks, plus he is averaging 13.5 points and 11.7 rebounds in a little under 29 minutes per game.

San Antonio finished the game on a 12-0 run, punctuated with a Kawhi Leonard 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. Incredibly, Leonard’s 30-point performance was just his second time scoring 30-plus this season.

Kings 104 (25-35), Mavs 101 (33-29)

Rajon Rondo had 18 points and 12 assists in a triumphant return to Dallas. Get this—it was Sacramento’s first win in Dallas for the first time since February 27, 2003.

The Warriors erased a nine-point third quarter deficit with a big contributions from Marreese Speights and Shaun Livingston. Despite an off shooting night, Stephen Curry did his part with 33 points and hit some clutch threes. With the win, Golden State finished 3-0 in the regular-season series with OKC.

Entering Saturday’s contest saddled with a seven-game losing streak, Carmelo Anthony put the Knicks on his back with a 30-point, 11-rebound effort — eclipsing 22,000 career points in the process. Dominant as ‘Melo was, he met a game adversary in Andrew Wiggins; the youngster scored 24 points in what proved to be an engaging duel. The W was Kurt Rambis’ first as interim coach of the Knicks — Rambis endured a brutal 32-132 run as T’Wolves head coach in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Despite getting called up to the big show, former college standout Jimmer Fredette was unable to receive court time from the Knicks’ bench.

Carmelo on Jimmer: "To be honest with you I haven't seen Jimmy play in a long time."

In his return from a one-game suspension, Hassan Whiteside proved to be the difference in Saturday’s victory over the Wizards. Whiteside, who was sidelined for his role in an altercation with Boban Marjanovic, recorded an incredible double-double in just under 30 minutes of court time. Apparently in a giddy mood, Whiteside had this to say of teammate Josh McRoberts after the game:

Washington had no answers for the Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade-less Heat — a rare off-night for John Wall (5-of-17 from the field) impacted the team, as the Wizards shot a dismal 13.6 percent from downtown. If things don’t turn around quickly, coach Randy Wittman could find himself back on the hot seat.

Bucks 117 (23-33), Hawks 109 (31-26)

The Hawks displayed immense heart in Saturday’s defeat, utilizing clutch buckets from Dennis Schroder and Al Horford to force double-overtime at home. Jabari Parker was on a mission, however, as the former Blue Devil torched Atlanta for a career-high 28 points with 13 rebounds. Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo also helped the cause with double-doubles. Kirk Hinrich, re-acquired from the Bulls at the trade deadline, didn’t crack coach Mike Budenholzer’s rotation in the double-OT loss.

After an embarrassing loss to Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers on Friday, the Warriors rebounded to take care of business against Chris Paul (24 points), DeAndre Jordan (16 points, 21 boards), Jamal Crawford (25 points), and the Clippers. While a late run from L.A. likely made this game closer than it needed to be, Draymond Green stole the show with his league-leading 11th triple-double. The Splash Brothers dropped a combined 55 points in Golden State’s starting unit, all but spelling doom for the Clippers. If nothing else can be taken away from Saturday’s defeat, the Clippers got their first look at Jeff Green- an intriguing player acquired in exchange for Lance Stephenson, who never found a true role in coach Doc Rivers’ rotation.

With Hassan Whiteside gone from the game early in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, the Miami Heat could not catch up to the visiting San Antonio Spurs, going down 119-101 for their second loss in a row.

The Heat know they have a lot of ground to make up in order to reach the Spurs’ level of play.

Per the Sun-Ssentinel:

“Right now that’s a different level of basketball than where we are, right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But that doesn’t mean that can’t change.”

“We’ve said we’re not there yet,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “We know that. We’ve got to get more consistent.” […] Wade led the Heat with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Chris Bosh added 18. But with LaMarcus Aldridge scoring 28, Kawhi Leonard 23 and Danny Green 15, the Spurs had more than enough to offset their injury absences of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

“That’s something that we’ll deal with, with Hassan,” Spoelstra said. “We don’t condone that kind of play. We’ve been through this with him before, but it’s a disappointing play. That’s not a basketball play.” […] Heat officials encouraged Whiteside to leave the locker room before media arrived, with Whiteside therefore unavailable for comment.

On the heels of a feel-good home victory against the Cavaliers, the Hornets dropped a tightly contested match-up with Miami. Despite receiving 27 points from Marvin Williams and a combined 41 from Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum, Charlotte was out-gunned by the triumvirate of Dwyane Wade (22 points), Chris Bosh (20 points), and Hassan Whiteside (triple-double with 10 boards). All was not lost for Charlotte fans, however, as seven-time All-Star Alonzo Mourning was honored in front of the Time Warner Cable Arena crowd.

John Wall — who notched a triple-double with 18 points, 13 boards, and 10 dimes — guided the Wizards to 52.4 percent shooting from the field, helping Washington snap a two-game skid. The stumbling 76ers displayed style in the form of this reverse alley-oop, but had little substance to go with it; the team has now dropped five of their last six.

“Never in my wildest imagination did I see Lance Stephenson playing the four,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “We have found something. You can’t guard him at the four. You can’t put a four on him and every team that’s tried to do that, it has been good for us.”

Grizzlies 91 (30-20), Knicks 85 (23-30)

To their credit, the Knicks held their own against Memphis without the services of Carmelo Anthony and Lance Thomas. A strong stat line from Kristaps Porzingis, however, wasn’t enough to stave off Jeff Green (16 points) and the Nuggets.

Kings 119 (21-29), Nets 128 (13-38)

If DeMarcus Cousins’ performance flew under the radar, it was due to him being one of three players around the league to post a triple-double on Friday. Scoring 24 points with 10 boards and 10 dimes, Boogie was one of three Kings to impress at the Barclays Center — Darren Collison came off the bench to drop 25 while Rajon Rondo distributed 15 assists to go with 15 points.

It’s probably a bad sign when Charlie Villanueva and Justin Anderson are the Mavs’ top scorers. With Zaza Pachulia getting tossed in the third quarter, and coach Rick Carlisle’s starting unit combining for just 32 points, the Mavericks looked fatigued in a rout from Kawhi Leonard (23 points) and the Spurs. San Antonio will hope to keep up the strong play in Manu Ginobili’s absence.

Bulls 110 (27-22), Nuggets 115 (20-31)

Friday’s loss to the Nuggets was a disconcerting one for Bulls fans. After suffering a sprained knee, Jimmy Butler remained in the game to complete his free throws before leaving the arena on crutches.

The bravery of Butler can’t be undersold; he’s staked his claim as an organizational leader who will leave it all on the court. The conversation now shifts onto coach Fred Hoiberg and his staff for keeping a visibly injured player in the game. While Butler wouldn’t have been eligible for a return otherwise, he likely would have benefited from medical attention prior to the free throws.

Bucks 81 (20-32), Jazz 84 (24-25)

23 points from Rodney Hood and an impressive double-double from Derrick Favors (11 points, 15 boards) helped Utah pull away from the Bucks in Friday’s narrow victory. Miles Plumlee raised eyebrows by mixing it up with Joe Ingles; the former Blue Devil looked to have delivered a forearm shiver to the back of Ingles’ head, resulting in a Flagrant-2. What do you think: clean play, or a cheap shot from the Milwaukee big man?

It wouldn’t have been unrealistic to think Hassan Whiteside would take it easy in Friday’s match-up against the Hornets. In his second game back from an oblique injury, Whiteside came off the bench to spell Amar’e Stoudemire. Whiteside, however, required only 27 minutes to record his third triple-double of the season. Check out the footage of his one-man block party.

Marcus Smart poured in his first career triple-double, while Jae Crowder, Avery Bradley, and Kelly Olynyk all contributed at least 17 points. Coach Brad Stevens won’t commit to any set rotation, yielding mixed results. The Celtics looked terrific against the 13-28 Suns, but recently recovered from a four-game skid. While still holding on to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, it remains to be seen whether the Celtics can be a viable contender this season.

Indeed, Whiteside’s unprecedented shot-blocking ability has transformed him into one of the league’s most feared big men. Helping out the cause in Friday’s close victory were Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson, adding 24 and 15 points, respectively. The beat goes on for the struggling Nuggets, who snapped a two-game winning streak despite strong play from Nikola Jokic.

Timberwolves 93 (12-29), Thunder 113 (29-12)

…And finally, our third triple-double of the night came from Russell Westbrook, a guy who knows a little something about filling stat sheets. Posting a 10/11/10 line, Westbrook was one of six OKC players to score in the double-digits in a comfortable win over the T’Wolves. Minnesota is always a fun team to watch, but like any young team, will have to endure some growing pains before entering contention.

Damian Lillard had a field day, dropping 33 points with 10 dimes on a Brooklyn team in disarray. Receiving strong contributions from Allen Crabbe (19 points), Ed Davis (14 points, 10 boards), and C.J. McCollum (13 points, seven dimes), Portland has won in three straight.

Wizards 118 (19-19), Pacers 104 (22-18)

John Wall went off for 28 points, while Bradley Beal chipped in 22 off the bench to propel the Wizards to their fourth straight W. Paul George, whose 21 points were a team-high, was none too pleased with his Indiana’s effort in their second straight loss.

“Poor effort. Poor effort on both ends of the floor. They took the fight to us. It’s like they were comfortable from the get-go,” George said. “You can’t let a team get comfortable, especially when it’s the point guard and their best player. That’s the head of the snake. We should never lose games like this, especially at home, where a team comes in and pushes the tempo and establishes how they’re going to play.”

Mavericks 83 (23-18), Bulls 77 (23-16)

Aside from a smooth cross-over from Taj Gibson, there weren’t many positives to take away from this contest for Chicago. Joakim Noah, whose 16-rebound performance against the 76ers on Thursday indicated a full recovery from a shoulder tear, re-aggravated the injury, and initial reports aren’t optimistic.

Jrue Holliday set up Anthony Davis for a game-deciding alley-oop at the end of regulation, handing Charlotte their eighth loss in the past nine games. Frank Kaminsky impressed with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Kemba Walker combined with Nicolas Batum for 50 points, but the Hornets’ prolonged losing streak dug a considerable hole in the Eastern Conference. The perennially underrated Ryan Anderson anchored New Orleans’ offense with 32 points.

Despite a posterizing dunk from Paul Millsap early on, the Hawks absorbed a difficult OT loss thanks to a 28-point effort from the Greek Freak. Atlanta faced a deficit at the end of regulation; playing most of overtime without Millsap and Kent Bazemore, who each fouled out.

Cavaliers 91 (28-10), Rockets 77 (21-20)

The Rockets committed 18 turnovers and shot just 35.1 percent from the field en route to a lopsided defeat to the Cavs. Posting a smooth 19/7/7 line on the night, King James pulled off an improbable task on this alley-oop feed.

Hassan Whiteside, quickly gaining a reputation as one of the league’s premier defenders, wasn’t able to do much with this Emmanuel Mudiay bucket. The undersized Mudiay challenged Whiteside in the paint and emerged victorious, throwing in a dunk over the Miami big man.

Knicks star rookie Kristaps Porzingis challenges nearly every shot he can near the rim, and was dunked on twice in Miami on Wednesday.

But KP got beat by Chris Bosh at the top of the key in the third quarter, and not even the rookie’s long wingspan could stop Bosh from slamming it home.

Then in the fourth quarter, Porzingis ended up on the wrong end of a poster, this time courtesy of Heat center Hassan Whiteside. Porzingis went up to break up an alley-oop pass by Dwyane Wade, but Whiteside beat him to the ball and finished with authority.

Tough night for KP, but the Knicks had the last laugh. New York broke their eight-game losing streak to the Heat with a 98-90 win.

Like @djkhaled say Major key 🔑🔑🔑 #tryingtogetmyallstarratingup pic.twitter.com/9eJi1DCTQl — Hassan Whiteside (@youngwhiteside) January 2, 2016 After going off for 25 points with a season-high 19 rebounds in a 106-82 win

Kyrie Irving’s season debut went about as well as he could have hoped. After announcing his intent to play against Philadelphia just yesterday, Irving posted 12 points with four assists, two steals, and a rebound. With Irving held to under 20 minutes in his first game back from a fractured kneecap, LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova picked up the offensive slack with 23 and 20 points, respectively. If Delly keeps up this level of play, Irving’s return to the rotation may not lead to a stark decrease in minutes.

Milwaukee pulled off a close victory in head coach Jason Kidd’s last game before taking an indefinite leave of absence to undergo hip surgery. Entering Sunday’s game without Giannis Antetokounmpo available, Khris Middleton led the team’s scoring with 26 points, and Michael Carter-Williams added 20.

This game was decided by Minnesota’s big men. Karl-Anthony Towns posted big numbers from both ends of the court, and Gorgui Dieng scored 20 points in a season-high 36 minutes. Adding further insult to injury, Kevin Garnett had some remarks for Nets fans in his return to Brooklyn.

Atlanta shot 50% from the field Sunday and received a double-double from Paul Millsap, who posterized Jason Smith in the process. Staying true to form, Kyle Korver was lights out from downtown, draining six of eight three-point attempts.

Sacramento emerged victorious in a battle between two teams with short benches. Anthony Bennett of the Raptors raised eyebrows by requesting a one-day D-League assignment, while Kyle Lowry was ejected in the third quarter for arguing with officials. Omri Casspi and Rajon Rondo each posted double-doubles for the Kings, while DeMarcus Cousins added a monster jam in a 15-point showing.

Trail Blazers 109 (11-18), Heat 116 (16-10)

Hassan Whiteside continues to develop into one of the league’s premier centers. After being signed by Miami in Nov. 2014 as a reclamation project, Whiteside- the league’s leading shot-blocker- has now grabbed double-digit rebounds in each of his last six games. Despite 32 points from Damian Lillard, and an insane dunk from Gerald Henderson, the scuffling Trail Blazers have now dropped three straight.

Pelicans 130 (8-19), Nuggets 125 (11-16)

The much-maligned Pelicans picked up a hard-fought victory over Kenneth Faried (21 points, 13 boards) and the Nuggets. Anthony Davis played through a flu to pick up 27 points, while Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, and Jrue Holliday all scored over 20 points. While he got attention from his shoe-throwing antics last week, Will Barton deserves serious props for his play of late. The 24-year-old reached a career-high 32 points off the bench Sunday, and has now scored in the double-digits in each of his last 12 games.

Hassan Whiteside played a career-high 38 minutes Sunday, and for good reason- the 26-year-old has been grabbing boards and stuffing shots at an elite rate. He’s also capable on the offensive end, as he showed on this and-one slam over two Trail Blazers.

A report came out Wednesday claiming that Rockets center Dwight Howard had soured on Houston and was looking for a way out, and that there was possibly another deal involving the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings in the works.

Have been told from inside the Heat absolutely nothing to speculation linking Whiteside to Dwight Howard or DeMarcus Cousins.

Howard says though he’s obviously not thrilled with the Rockets’ two-game losing streak, he’s not demanding a trade.

Per the Houston Chronicle:

Howard called the report “lies” and said he has never expressed any dissatisfaction with his role.

“I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything,” Howard said. “People make up lies and rumors. That’s never been my focus. I’m trying to get these guys to play better and get myself to play better. […] People are going to say what they got to say to get a story out. People are always going to come up with some rumor and lies. That’s what it is. I can’t focus on that. And I don’t want my teammates to focus on that.”

Howard is averaging 13.6 points per game on just 8.3 shots per game. But he said last week he was not concerned with his own offense, believing that his role would increase throughout the season. […] “I want us to win,” Howard said. “We had two upsetting losses. We’re all frustrated because we know we can play better. I haven’t said anything to any reporter or to anybody about being unhappy. That’s only noise. All the other stuff is lies.”

The Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside threw down a pair of dunks in the first quarter against the Washington Wizards. One came off a bounce-pass from Goran Dragic as seen up top. The other, courtesy of a Dwyane Wade assist, is below:

Heat center Hassan Whiteside messed around for the second time in his young career Tuesday night to the tune of 22 points, 14 rebounds and ten blocks(!), but it still wasn’t enough for Miami to extend their three-game winning streak.

Andrew Wiggins had 24 points for the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves in their 103-91 win, and nearly ended Whiteside’s life with this dunk attempt.

“Just a bad game,” said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who along with Chris Bosh produced only 10 points each in nearly 32 minutes of play. […] Said Bosh: “It was a stinker. I think our focus was down.”

The Heat’s bench, which had played well during most of the previous nine games, provided just 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting (Minnesota’s bench scored 54). Rookie Justise Winslow led the way with eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds, but it was hardly enough. […] Minnesota, which had started the season ranked among the league leaders in holding opponents’ field-goal percentage down, came in having given up an average of 112 points on 51.5 percent shooting over its previous five games. The Heat, though, shot just 45.6 percent and struggled from three-point range (5 of 24).

Whiteside’s 46 blocks through 10 games are the most in franchise history. Alonzo Mourning had 39 blocks through 10 games to start the 1995-96 season. […] “Multiple efforts all over the place, all over the court,” Spoelstra said of Whiteside. The blocks he had were top-of-the-box — very few guys can make many of those plays. His extra efforts, extra jumps. I thought his screening in this game was probably one of his better screening games offensively. That was a tremendous effort on his part.”

After starting the season with eight consecutive multi-block games, Hassan Whiteside took it upon himself to remind us of his offensive capabilities. Namely, by posterizing Derrick Favors with a vicious one-handed

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside burst on the scene last season, averaging 11.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks over 48 games game in 2014-15 after playing a total of only 111 minutes his first two seasons in the League (spent with Sacramento). It hasn’t taken long for Whiteside to start taking advantage of the social life in South Beach—he’s become fast friends with DJ Khaled.

Khaled’s new album “I Changed A Lot,” is coming October 23, and today Future previewed a track (presumably) off the album in an Instagram video. Curiously, Whiteside can be seen dancing in the background for nearly all 15 seconds of the snippet. Check it out below, it’s not hard to spot the 7-footer:

In case you needed more proof that Whiteside is a Khaled supporter, here’s the big man via his own Instagram page, shooting free throws with the requisite “Another One!” after each make:

Earlier, Wade offered an Instagram post that read on large lettering, “Team Wade Field Day 2015,” with a caption of “They don’t want it!!! first of many. #anyonehasfacepaint #teamwade.”

James and the Cavaliers recently have held their own workout sessions in South Florida, with James also working out with former Heat guard Norris Cole at the Miami gym where Wade has been training in advance of the season.

Luol Deng isn’t going anywhere. Goran Dragic just re-upped. Chris Bosh is getting healthy. Justise Winslow will be a rookie. The Miami Heat are quietly putting the puzzle pieces together to be an Eastern Conference contender in 2015-16. The last, and perhaps most important, piece of that puzzle is of course Dwyane Wade, who opted out and is a free agent, but most still think will sign with the Heat.

Free agent Dwyane Wade and Miami are progressing in talks on a likely multi-year deal, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

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Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat

After being dropped by the Memphis Grizzlies prior to this season, and continuing his D-League stint, the Miami Heat decided to give Whiteside a chance. On the cusp of averaging a double-double (sitting at 11.0 points and 9.8 rebounds) in just 22.1 minutes per game, he has to be considered the waiver wire pick up of the year. As the season has gone on, his production has improved proportionally with increased court time. Next season, Whiteside is in line for even bigger minutes and is certain to be a fantasy monster, even if his per-minute stats take an inevitable hit. His 2.5 blocks per game is second in the entire League; just imagine what that number will look like with more minutes. The NBA’s leader in blocks, Anthony Davis (2.91), might just have some competition.

Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls

The Bulls organization offered Butler a long-term contract before the season, but Butler took a chance and declined. That move has paid off and Butler is now in line for an even bigger payday. Prior to the season, nobody except perhaps Butler himself would have placed him in the All-Star game. With averages of 20.2 points, 6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest, Butler has surpassed his draft value in every fantasy league out there. The most notable stat that demonstrates Butler’s improvement this season is the rise in field-goal percentage. After shooting 39.7 percent last season, Butler is standing at 46.2 percent this season and is averaging over 7 free throws a game. While his defensive prowess doesn’t necessarily translate to daily box scores, it shouldn’t be a forgotten part of his all-around game.

George Hill, Indiana Pacers

The Pacers didn’t have much going for them offensively when Paul George went down with an injury, but Hill has taken advantage of the team’s void and filled it admirably. While he hasn’t played at an All-Star level, he’s playing the best ball of his career and has become a desirable fantasy piece after years of mediocrity. His 15.9 points on 47 percent shooting this season far surpasses his career averages. Hill is making the case that he has taken a permanent leap to a new level with a career high usage rate, and continued improvement. In 14 March games, His is averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 assists, 1.6 threes and 1.1 steals on over 50 percent from the field. He could provide sneaky value in drafts next season.

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Plenty of people saw a lot of talent in the Stifle Tower (he’s French and tall, so it’s just an obvious nickname), but not many saw him elevating his level of play so quickly. Since being entrusted with more playing time (with the aide of Enes Kanter’s departure), Gobert has averaged 10.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game post-All-Star break, a simply monster line that has come parallel to the Utah Jazz’s resurgence as a team, especially defensively. Next season, Gobert is going to be highly sought after in all drafts, and should put up similar numbers to what he has averaged in the latter part of the season.

Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls

Gasol has won Championships and been considered one of the League’s best big men for a long time. But after last season’s tumultuous Lakers season, many discounted what he could bring to the table. Pau is averaging a career-high 11.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. That’s not a typo; Pau is averaging a career high in two major categories at the age of 34. With the way Pau plays, he’s almost a lock to continue to play close to this level for the next couple years assuming he can stay healthy. He is proving to be one of this season’s best values in fantasy drafts and was elected to be an All-Star starter for the first time in his career this season.

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Green averaged 6 points, 5 boards and 21 minutes per game last season as a solid bench player who was completely fantasy irrelevant. This year, a coaching change has had big dividends, with Steve Kerr integrating Green completely into the Warriors’ rotation. With 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 1.6 steals, 3.6 assists and 4-plus threes attempted per game, Green puts up numbers all across the board and has been a lethal weapon as a fantasy player. The dynamic that he brings to the Warriors on both sides of the court is irreplaceable based on the schemes that they play, and it would be a mistake for them to let him sign elsewhere this season.

Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

A lot of pundits out there thought that Hayward had peaked already, and that he wasn’t really deserving of a maximum-level contract that the market dictated. Hayward has proven everybody wrong and has taken his game to an entirely new level. After averaging 16 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds last year (a strong all-around fantasy line itself), Hayward is up to 19.6 points per game this year with similar rebounds and assists. He has elevated his field-goal percentage from 41.3 to 45.2 percent, which has allowed him to be a much more efficient version of last year’s version.

Mo Williams, Charlotte Hornets

Since the All-Star break, Williams is averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 assists per contest. It hasn’t helped the Hornets in the standings at all, but fantasy owners have to be happy that Charlotte acquired Williams from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Williams had taken the reigns of the Wolves because of Ricky Rubio’s injury and became more fantasy relevant than he had been in several years. With Rubio’s return, it seemed as though Williams would return to the pack statistically, but the trade breathed life back into his season. He’s not a flashy name, but it’s impossible to ignore what he has been able to do this year.

Dan Hanna is SLAM’s weekly fantasy basketball columnist and a life-long Bulls fan. Follow him on Twitter @i_am_danhan. For advice on your fantasy team, post questions in the comments section.

Whiteside—averaging 11.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 22 minutes of burn for the Miami Heat, after bouncing around the NBDL, Lebanon and China the previous four years—unexpectedly burst onto the NBA scene this season.

Cousy, who spends his winters in Florida, is so enamored with Whiteside that he thinks the C’s should do everything to acquire the big fella (an unrestricted free agent in 2016.)

Per the Worcester Telegram & Gazette:

“I have never said this in the 40 years since I retired,” Cousy said in a recent telephone interview, “but he is the first big guy, not (Patrick) Ewing, (Hakeem) Olajuwon, Shaq (O’Neal), who reminds me defensively and on the boards of Russell. He runs the floor well, he has excellent timing, he blocks shots and keeps them in play the way Russell did.”

“That’s a great honor,” Whiteside said before the Celtics hosted Miami Wednesday. “Everybody knows that Bill Russell is probably one of the best shot blockers that ever lived. That’s really a big honor that he thinks of me that way.” […] Whiteside said he doesn’t try to block too many shots because he doesn’t want to get out of position for the rebound.

“If I were Danny (Ainge),” Cousy said, “I’d offer Miami three first-round picks for Whiteside because in my judgment, and what can you tell watching on television, but boy does that kid have an upside.” […] “I don’t get excited too often about these guys,” Cousy said, “but this kid looks to me like a turn-around guy. This kid moves to every rebound, he just reacts to everything on the defensive boards and he reacts the way Russell did. He leaves his man and comes over to help. He’ll block five or six shots a game and he catches them. The league hasn’t caught up with him yet.” […] Cousy paused for a moment and added, “Maybe I’m overreacting.”

Heat center Hassan Whiteside reached all the way back to a “Waffle House” before smashing a dunk in the third quarter of Miami’s 108-91 victory against the Nuggets on Friday. Whiteside stole the a lazy pass intended for JJ Hickson and took it all the way to the cup for the showtime jam.

From the Palm Beach Post:

Miami was flush with confidence taking on a Denver team that lost interest in this season a while ago, and the victory was rarely in doubt.

In the middle of the third quarter, after cutting Miami’s margin to 67-60, Randy Foye threw a careless inbounds pass that Whiteside intercepted and took down the left side of the court on a one-man fastbreak for his “Waffle House” dunk. As he flew in uncontested, he took the ball in his right hand and swung it down by his knees before crushing the rim.

“Next time I’ll do something a little more fancy,” said Whiteside, who had 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. “I just cocked it back as far as I could and threw it down. I know the fans liked that.”

Beasley argues that his up-and-down career can be a useful guide for Whiteside.

Per CBS Miami:

When the Heat’s talented but sometimes immature center mentioned Beasley among the players mentoring him after getting ejected from two games in a one-week span, many were baffled. Beas hasn’t exactly had a glowing reputation in NBA circles but his reasoning makes a ton of tense.

“It’s funny because everybody looks at me or not even me, looks at a troublemaker, and really wouldn’t want him to hinder the success of anyone else,” Beasley said. “Then they look at a Dwyane Wade and then a LeBron James, well, that’s the perfect guy to listen to. Well not always.

Sometimes you want to listen to the guy that’s been through some things, the guy that fell off the mountain and climbed back and really that’s what Hassan needed. That’s what I needed. That’s what I had in (Udonis Haslem) my first couple years, somebody that didn’t have the high road to take his whole career.”

A compilation of the best images from the past seven days. In the NBA photos above, relive the action from this week’s games—including James Harden’s career-night, the usual sweet dunks, the @warriors’ Social Media Night and more.

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has been suspended one game without pay for elbowing Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk in the back of the neck, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter of Boston’s 100-90 win over Miami on Monday, March 9, at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Whiteside will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Heat hosts the Brooklyn Nets.

This was Whiteside’s second ejection in the past five games, and the visiting Celtics earned a 100-90 road win.

Per the Sun-Sentinel:

He was ejected in the second half of Monday’s 100-90 loss to the Boston Celtics at AmericanAirlines Arena, marking his second early exit in five games. Whiteside, who has already been fined $36,000 this season, will almost certainly have to open up his checkbook again. The act made Wade’s game-high 34 points a mere footnote.

“Very (disappointed),” Wade said. “We all are. If you’re a Heat fan, you are. In this locker room, you are. Everybody. He’s going to have to learn. He’s been learning the hard way … Hopefully, he changes his mentality quick.”

“It definitely hurts because he’s one of our main guys,” forward Michael Beasley, who played some center in place of Whiteside. “… We need him but at the same time we’ve got to fight. We’ve been short a lot this year.” […] Two free throws by Olynyk gave the Celtics a double-digit lead, forcing the Heat to play catch-up the remainder. For Whiteside, it was another blemish on what has been a breakout season and one of the feel-good stories of the league.

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It wasn’t long ago that Russell Westbrook was viewed as a second fiddle to scoring champion and MVP Kevin Durant.

With Durant sidelined for a good portion of this season’s schedule thus far, Westbrook has seized the opportunity to show every single NBA fan that he is capable of being the man. His detractors have at times called him selfish, with a questionable at best shot selection.

Westbrook seems to thrive living by the old motto, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” and he is certainly proving that he should have the green light to play that way. With his own line of stylish eyeglasses and a fiery competitive spirit, Westbrook is certainly one of the most unique personalities in the League.

Props to Stephen Curry and James Harden for phenomenal seasons, but Westbrook is the better all-around player and athlete, and is without a doubt the best fantasy player at the guard position. With averages of 27 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals per game, he is at the very least the fantasy MVP.

He is a guy who “disappoints” his fantasy owners when he can’t put up a fourth straight triple-double. In other words, Russ is simply as reliable as it gets. True, he is shooting only 27 percent from three this year, but over the course of the last four seasons that number sits at a respectable enough 32 percent. That’s about the biggest complaint you’ll find.

Over his last four games, Westbrook is averaging an absurd 42.8 points, 12.8 boards, 9.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game, simply carrying the Thunder on his shoulders and up the standings in the Western Conference, simultaneously giving his fantasy owners a nasty overabundance of confidence.

Those same owners are likely hoping for KD to remain out of the lineup for as long as possible, but even when he returns, this might just be Westbrook’s team for this 2015 title run, as he approaches a season record usage rate.

You’d be hard pressed to find a similar stretch of dominant play since the advent of fantasy basketball. The leap that Westbrook has made this year can no doubt be attributed to the previously mentioned absence of Durant. Before last season’s injury shortened affair, Westbrook had two straight seasons where he averaged about 23 points on about 19 shot attempts in 35 minutes per game.

This season, in 33 minutes per game, he is averaging that 27 point total on 21 shots. The numbers imply that Westbrook has learned to be a more efficient player while remaining a dominant force. Consider also the giant leap in assists and rebounds per game. He’s gone from 5.5 assists per game in 2011-12 to 8.2 per game this year, while averaging by far a career high in points and usage. He is averaging 1.5 more rebounds per game more than ever before in his career.

Westbrook has evolved his game to the point where he fills in every gap that the Thunder need filled. When Durant comes back, there won’t be as many gaps, but you can expect Westbrook to continue to perform like an MVP. Fantasy owners should keep this is mind if Durant and Westbrook ever part ways from each other or the Thunder. A Championship together this year could keep them a tandem for a long time.

Quick Bits

Kemba Walker will be returning shortly after recovering from his meniscus tear, and he is likely going to see a lot of time next to fellow point guard Mo Williams, who has played well since coming over from Minnesota. Both guys will be fantasy viable and capable of exploding on any given night. Charlotte has struggled for offense most of the year, so the coaching staff is unlikely to sacrifice either Mo’s or Kemba’s minutes in the quest for a playoff spot.

Chicago Bulls rookie Nikola Mirotic has exploded onto the scene since both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler were knocked out of the lineup. With both set to miss weeks, not days, Mirotic is the offensive threat that Chicago needs to keep a high seed and some sort of home court advantage on the Eastern Conference. He is averaging 26 points, 8 boards, and 2.5 three pointers over the last three games, and while it’s unreasonable to expect it every night out of the rook, Mirotic is going to play at a top level as long as Butler and Rose are out. This is more than a hot streak and he is a reliable fantasy option.

Anthony Davis returned just in time to warm up for the fantasy playoffs, but hopefully his absence didn’t cost anybody down the stretch. He wasted no time in dropping a 39-point, 13-rebound and 8-block line on his opponents, so his owners can at least be confident moving forward that Davis is fully healthy.

Rudy Gobert, with a 24-rebound performance, and Hassan Whiteside, with a 25-rebound outing last week, are not going to slip by anybody in fantasy drafts next year. Owners who picked these guys up at a low value are reaping the rewards. In keeper leagues, both guys are worth more than you would ever get back in a trade, so keep them in your lineup long term.

The Dwight Howard situation in Houston continues to flummox owners. Terrence Jones is taking advantage of all the extra opportunity right now, and should continue to do so even if Howard is able to return soon. Earlier estimates had Howard being reevaluated sometime in the first week of March, so hopefully the news is good. It’s possible that Howard returns to top form for the fantasy playoffs, something his owners haven’t seen much of the year as he played through knee soreness.

Dan Hanna is SLAM’s weekly fantasy basketball columnist and a life-long Bulls fan. Follow him on Twitter @i_am_danhan. For advice on your fantasy team, post questions in the comments section.

The NBA announced fines Tuesday for both Whiteside and Len, and Markieff Morris was also punished for his Flagrant 2 foul on former teammate Goran Dragic.

From the press release:

Phoenix Suns center Alex Len has been fined $20,000 for initiating an altercation with Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside and attempting to take him to the floor. Whiteside has been fined $15,000 for escalating the incident by wrestling Len to the floor. Additionally, Suns forward Markieff Morris has been fined $15,000 for his Flagrant 2 for making excessive contact above the shoulders with Heat guard Goran Dragic. The penalties were announced Tuesday by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident involving Len and Whiteside occurred with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter of the Heat’s 115-98 win over the Suns on Monday, March 2, at AmericanAirlines Arena. The incident involving Morris occurred with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter of the same game.

Hassan Whiteside’s temper got the best of him tonight and resulted in an ejected for retaliating against Phoenix center Alex Len. The fallout might be even worse for Miami, which likely will hear from the NBA about potential additional punishment. […] Whiteside got tossed with 4:26 left in the third quarter of the Heat’s 115-98 victory after charging at Len and tackling him under the basket. Len provoked that by grabbing the back of Whiteside’s jersey and shoving him.

“It was about the fourth or fifth time I dunked on him and I feel like he was really frustrated,” Whiteside said. “I shouldn’t have came back an retaliated the way I did because it really hurt my team… but every day is a learning day for me. But that’s what it was– it was just because I just kept dunking on him.”

Is Whiteside expecting more of those tactics in the future? […] “I realize a lot more teams are being really physical with me and I’m down for it,” he said. “That’s what I lift weights for. I’m pretty prepared for that.”

With Kyle Lowry taking the night off for rest yesterday in Philly, DeMar DeRozan stepped up to lead the Toronto Raptors past the hometown 76ers. He scored a season-high 35 points—15 of those came in the first quarter alone—to help T-Dot end its five-game losing streak.

Lou Williams added 21, as the Raps’ bench outscored the Sixers’ 66-45. The game remained close throughout the first three quarters. In the fourth, the Raptors went up by double-digits and maintained a lead until the final buzzer sounded.

Nerlens Noel finished with 17 points for Philadelphia, shooting a perfect 7-7 from the field. Ish Smith added a career-high 19 points and 9 assists off the bench in the loss.

Nets 110 (25-33), Warriors 108 (46-12)

Who had the clutch gene in last night’s Golden State Warriors’ visit to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn? This guy:

Jarret Jack might’ve finished with a modest 9 points last night, but he had the 2 most important ones that won the game over the League’s best team.

Before Jack’s jumper seen in the video above, Stephen Curry caught fire as he usually does. He scored 18 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 108 with just over a minute left. Andrew Bogut had a season-high 16 points, but his bad pass went out of bounds with 20.6 seconds on the clock and the game still tied. That put the ball in the Nets’ hands leading to Jack’s winning shot.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 26 points, and Deron Williams added 22 in the thrilling win.

Heat 115 (26-33), Suns 98 (31-30)

Lots of…uh, stuff happened in last night’s match-up between Goran Dragic’s former Phoenix Suns and current Miami Heat. Let’s start with the three ejections—all in the third quarter.

The first was Markieff Morris (13 points) after his hard foul on Dragic was ruled a Flagrant 2 by the officials:

The second and third were Hassan Whiteside (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Alex Len (10 points, 11 rebounds) after this little tussle:

Despite all the roughhousing, the final result turned out pretty good for Miami. Tyler Johnson finished with a career-high 26 points, and Dragic added 21 points (including 10 in the fourth) to get the dub over his former team. Dwyane Wade finished with 16 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals.

Clippers 110 (40-21), Timberwolves 105 (13-46)

Gotta start this recap off with the best Vine of the night:

Glen Davis (12 points) just doing his thing—videobombing teammate Chris Paul who finished with 26 points and 14 assists in the Clippers’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to conclude a four-game road trip. Fun times.

The Clips went on a 17-2 run in the first quarter of last night’s game at the Target Center. They had a 36-23 lead after 12 minutes of play. In the second quarter, the Timberwolves had the upper hand. They outscored their visitors by 15 to take a 2-point lead at halftime. A couple highlights from those second 12 minutes, courtesy of the young Wolves:

In the final period, CP3 and the Clips came out on top, holding the home team to just one successful field goal with 10:18 left in the game. Minnesota’s remaining 16 points in the fourth came solely from free throws.

Ricky Rubio finished with his first triple-double of the season (fourth in his career) of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. Six of the seven Wolves who saw minutes scored in double-figs, but Los Angeles came out with the victory.

Mavericks 102 (40-22), Pelicans 93 (32-28)

The New Orleans Pelicans’ five-game winning streak came to an end last night in Dallas, as Monta Ellis (20 points) and the Mavericks took care of the win on their home floor. Rajon Rondo contributed 19 points (13 in the first quarter), and Richard Jefferson finished with 16.

The Pelicans had a 3-point advantage at the half, but then the Mavericks opened the third quarter on a 16-2 run. They outscored the Pelicans 25-13. In the fourth, both teams finished with an even 22 points, and Dallas ended up winning by 9. Norris Cole was the high-scorer for the Pels with 19.

The 2015 NBA All-Star rosters are set, and all of the players headed to New York for the game have played a huge role for their fantasy owners. Fantasy hoops, however, is a different animal compared to the real game settled on the hardwood.

Box scores and individual performances matter more than team wins or losses, and there are plenty of players who deserve to be recognized for their top-level performance in fantasy land, even if they won’t be playing in New York City next weekend.

Kyle Korver

Korver has been delivering the “Hot Sauce” at an unprecedented rate this year, with a 54 percent success rate from three-point land. On top of that, he’s hitting 3 of them per game, and is shooting over 90 percent at the free-throw line, which makes him extremely valuable in all standard leagues where those statistics matter. He has been a huge part of the Atlanta Hawks’ success, and will at least be represented by participating in the three-point contest, an event he somehow has not won yet in his career.

Andre Drummond

Drummond may be young and he may be playing for a Pistons squad that has a pretty bad roster, but he is a fantastic fantasy option despite his early season struggles and free-throw troubles. He’s pushing 13 points, 13 boards and 2 blocks per game, and his field-goal percentage in the last couple months is well over 50 percent. The 21-year-old is a lock for some appearances in future All-star games and will only get better as he gains more experience.

Greg Monroe

Since the Pistons’ banishing of Josh Smith, Monroe has been playing at a true All-Star level and deserves the recognition for it. In January and February, he is averaging close to 17 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, along with 53 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line. He’s going to get his max contract this offseason, and the Pistons would be fools to let him go. The only thing holding him back from elite status is his lack of blocked shots. Those fantasy owners who saw this coming when Smith was waived are likely reaping the rewards.

Hassan Whiteside

The surprising center hasn’t had a long enough stretch to even be considered for the real All-Star game, but it could be in his future and he has turned himself into an elite fantasy option in the blink of an eye. Those who snagged him out of the free-agent pool must be feeling pretty good. The gaudy block and rebound totals have been supplemented by decent scoring, and it’s possible Whiteside could actually be counted on to carry your fantasy team down the stretch.

Nikola Vucevic

How is this guy not going to New York for the All-Star game? It has nothing to do with his play on the court, and everything to do with him playing on an Orlando Magic squad that is invisible to NBA fans. His current averages of 19.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, and his strong shooting percentage, make him one of the most underrated players in the game. That rebounding total is good for seventh in the NBA, by the way. It’s great to see a player like Paul Millsap, habitually underrated and unnoticed, make his second All-Star team this year, and it wouldn’t be surprising for Vucevic to take as long to make the squad as Millsap.

Al Jefferson

He’s missed some time with injury, but when he’s been on the court he has been as solid as ever. Overall, his numbers are slightly down from last year’s 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest, which has as much to do with the turmoil swirling around the Hornets’ inability to meet expectations, as it does with his injuries. Don’t be surprised to see Jefferson really turn it down in the season’s final stretch, just in time for the fantasy playoffs. Owners will be happy they have stuck with him.

Kemba Walker

Before he was knocked out of the lineup with a knee injury recently, Walker had appeared to turn a corner. From December 3 to January 14, he averaged an eye opening 23.4 points, 5.1 assists. and 1.4 assists per game on 43 percent from the field. Kemba should be back in time for the fantasy playoffs, but it might be unreasonable to expect him to continue the torrid pace he had discovered before opting for the minor surgery. Next year, it’s very possible that he will be undervalued in drafts due to early season struggles and the injury, so don’t forget about the promise he showed during this winter stretch.

Stay tuned next week for the Western Conference Fantasy All-Stars.

Dan Hanna is SLAM’s weekly fantasy basketball columnist and a life-long Bulls fan. Follow him on Twitter @i_am_danhan. For advice on your fantasy team, post questions in the comments section.

This may be the Blooper of the Year, and you can be sure Shaq and the Inside the NBA crew are going to have fun with this one tonight. What exactly happened here? Well, um, there’s really no explanation. This turned out to be a costly turnover in the Heat’s 102-101 loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Also, Hassan Whiteside isn’t blameless here, either. Why he gave the ball back to Cole stepped back out of bounds to inbound the ball again is unclear. Whiteside did go for 24 points and 20 rebounds, so that makes up for this a bit, but just a bad look, and loss for the Heat, who are going to have to figure something out at point guard if they plan on making the playoffs.

How ’bout these Knicks??? They blew by the Lakers yesterday afternoon behind 31 from Carmelo Anthony, and have now won four of six. Playing in the East, that’s the equivalent of like an 18-game normal-conference streak.

Langston Galloway was solid again, scoring 13 points with 5 boards in 30 minutes. It wasn’t exactly a fancy W, but the Lakers just didn’t show up.

Jordan Clarkson (19) and Carlos Boozer (19 and 10) both played well, but the rest of the team was ice cold. Save for Clarkson, the starters shot 5-of-25, and Jeremy Lin finished with 4 points and 4 turnovers in his return to the Garden.

Heat (21-26) 83, Celtics (16-30) 75

Hassan Whiteside just won’t stop producing. After averaging 13 points, 10.5 boards and 3.5 blocks in January, he started February off with a 20/9/3 line in Boston. He hit 10/17 shots yesterday and I’m not sure why he’d slow down any time soon.

Chris Bosh added 18 and 7 in the win.

Boston’s offense never surfaced. They failed to top 16 points in three out of four quarters, and trailed by double-figures for much of the fourth. Overall, though, I don’t think Boston sports fans can complain about yesterday’s slate.

Reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams, is a bright spot in this dark, dark season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Last night at home, MCW dropped a triple-double—his third of the season—with 17 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.

The game between the 76ers and the visiting Timberwolves remained close throughout, with no lead exceeding 10 points. In the fourth, Minnesota committed 9 of their total 21 turnovers while shooting just 33 percent from the field. Philly held Kevin Martin (19 points) and the Wolves to 17 in that final period, and finally hit double-digits in the wins column.

Hawks 105 (39-8), Trail Blazers 99 (32-15)

How ‘bout them Hawks, right? Like really…last night’s win over the Trail Blazers earned Atlanta its eighteenth consecutive victory. That team is having a blast on the court, and on Twitter too. Just look:

The Hawks had six players in double-figures, led by Paul Millsap with 21 points and a solid performance from Kent Bazemore (12 points on 5-6 shooting), who played nearly 40 minutes to fill in for injured players. The balanced scoring from Atlanta (despite missing DeMarre Carroll and Shelvin Mack as well as Thabo Sefolosha for most of the game) outdid the double-doubles from LaMarcus Aldridge (37 points and 11 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (13 points and 11 assists). A close game throughout, it was in the final period that Atlanta went off for 36 points, outscoring the Blazers by 11. Also in that period, Jeff Teague (13 points and 8 assists) did this:

Rockets 93 (33-14), Celtics 87 (16-29)

There’s that #3rdQofDoom again. The victim this time, the Houston Rockets, who scored just 9 points on 4-20 shooting in the third period. But despite the poor quarter which wiped away their 18-point halftime lead, the Rockets still managed to get the W over the Celtics. Credit goes to the team of course, but Donatas Motiejunas was the standout with a season-high 12 rebounds and a career-high 26 points, 10 of which came in the fourth to help recover from that ugly third quarter.

Raptors 127 (32-15), Nets 122 (18-28) OT

Despite blowing their 17-point third quarter lead, the Toronto Raptors managed to get the W in Brooklyn last night. Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez each scored 35 points to go along with 13 assists and 12 boards respectively to keep the Nets in the contest. After outscoring the Raps by 9 in the fourth, the game headed to OT. The teams went back and fourth, until the final 40 seconds when Amir Johnson (24 points and 7 rebounds) put back DeMar DeRozan’s (26 points and 9 assists) shot that was blocked by Mason Plumlee (12 points and 9 rebounds). After that, the Raps hit their FTs, and the Atlantic Divsion battle ended.

Cavaliers 101 (28-20), Kings 90 (16-29)

After missing Cleveland’s previous game with an injury, LeBron James returned to the lineup last night as the Cavaliers hosted the Sacramento Kings at the Q. Though he said he’s not a hundred percent fine, he was able to pull off a move like this in the fourth:

That, and score a respectable 19 points and dish 7 assists. Kevin Love was the headline man for the Cavs, as he scored 16 points in the first quarter alone and finished with 23 in the game. He grabbed 10 boards too. Kyrie Irving followed his 55-point performance with a solid 21-point, 6-assist game. After taking a 10 point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Cavs stayed on top throughout, despite newly appointed All-Star, DeMarcus Cousins’ 21 points and 12 boards and Rudy Gay’s (20 points) in-game Dunk Contest-esque slam:

Pelicans 108 (25-22), Clippers 103 (32-15)

Not having Anthony Davis in the lineup last night was not a problem for the Pelicans. When the Los Angeles Clippers came to town, a number of guys stepped up to make sure their home team would come out victorious. Eric Gordon scored a season-high 28 points, Tyreke Evans posted a 11-point, 12-assist double-double, and Ryan Anderson dropped 24 points in the win. Alexis Ajinca had a sweet stat line too, with 17 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks. After New Orleans outscored LA by 13 in the third quarter, Chris Paul (24 points, 8 boards, 7 assists) led the Clippers on a 12-0 run in the fourth. Even with an additional five Clips in double-figs, the Pelicans took care of the win at home.

Mavericks 93 (31-17), Heat 72 (20-26)

Well this game was…interesting. A tad unusual, but hey, a little weird is refreshing. Hassan Whiteside cleaned that glass real well in the first quarter. Working off poor shooting from both teams, he brought down 14 boards by the end of the opening period. He had 24 rebounds on the night to go along with 16 points. Up 45-33 at the half, Miami built up a 16-point lead in the third quarter. That’s when Dallas woke up. Led by veteran Charlie Villanueva (20 points), the Mavs went on a 21-0 run to tie the game at 60 heading into the fourth. In that last period, Dallas pounded the Heat 33-12, as if that 16-point lead was all in their imagination.

Jazz 110 (17-30), Warriors 100 (36-8)

The Golden State Warriors never led during last night’s game in Salt Lake City. Six of the nine Jazz players who saw minutes scored double-figs to overcome Stephen Curry (32 points) and the top team in the West. Gordon Hayward led Utah with 26 points and 15 assists.

The Jazz bench outscored the Warriors’ bench by 10 points, and that’s the margin by which Utah earned their win.

Suns 99 (28-20), Bulls 93 (30-19)

The Phoenix Suns led by as many as 16 in last night’s match-up versus the Bulls. But in the third quarter, Chicago came storming back, outscoring the Suns 25-13. The fourth quarter was a close one, with the Bulls coming within two points of the Suns. But Eric Bledsoe (23 points), Goran Dragic (21 points) and the rest of the hometown squad was not ready to let this one slip. They held off the team from the Windy City to earn their second win in a row.

Here are Hassan Whiteside’s stats from the Heat’s 96-84 road win Sunday over the Bulls: 14 points (on 6-10 shooting), 13 rebounds, 12 blocks. He did all that in just over 24 minutes of playing time, and against one of the best frontlines in the NBA.

Hassan Whiteside on how he felt facing Joakim Noah: “Ask Noah how he feels about facing Hassan Whiteside for the 1st time.” Love it.

Earlier in the season, the Detroit Pistons lost 13 games in a row and were outscored by 108 points during that span. Fast forward to the present, and the Motor City appears to have a legitimate NBA team again, with the Pistons standing at 7-0 since waiving forward Josh Smith. It couldn’t have been that simple, could it?

This night and day reversal of fortune is truthfully pretty telling about the team’s poor chemistry with Smith, and the fantasy implications of the move have become resoundingly clear.

Greg Monroe looks to be reestablishing his value after returning to the starting lineup. For some reason, conditions in Detroit have always seemed to fail him, but that’s not going to be the case from here on out. Additionally, he is playing for what he probably hopes is a maximum contract from someone this summer. Not that anybody has ever played harder when they are playing for a contract…

Monroe has nevertheless been able to slide comfortably into a more prominent role and has put up four straight double-doubles. This includes a monster performance against the Dallas Mavericks in which he dropped 27 points, 18 boards, 6 assists, and a block. More nights like these will be coming, and his minutes should continue to rise. He has always deserved to be a starter for this team, and now he’s proving why.

If you own Monroe and are thinking about selling high, don’t do it. If you want to think the Pistons are just on a hot streak, that’s your prerogative. But the seven-game win streak has included impressive victories over the Cavs, Mavs and Spurs. They are playing like a team and have found a second wind (or technically, they’ve found their first wind). Sure, they’re still going to lose some games but the 7- or 8-seed in the Eastern Conference are very attainable. Don’t be surprised to see the Pistons representing the Motor City in the Playoffs this year.

Brandon Jennings would be a huge part of that. He has always been a player who has gone through hot and cold streaks, but this season has featured a lot of the hot and his performance since Smith left has been pretty outstanding. His field-goal percentage has never impressed his owners, but it’s sitting at a 49 percent clip since Smith left (under 39 percent with Smith). A blind man could see that he will have more opportunities with the ball in his hand without Smith next to him. His explosive scoring ability and 85 percent from the charity stripe keep his value up, and his hot streaks keep owners happy (enough). It’s not like anybody is drafting him above his value.

Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. Be careful about attempting to sell high on him; his value can only go so high given his up-and-down history so you are better off as an owner by playing to his positives and hoping for the best.

Jennings’s backup, DJ Augustin, is a similarly streaky and is occasionally worth taking a look at in daily leagues and situations. If Jennings isn’t feeling it on any particular night, DJ has been there to pick up the slack, and has even been deployed ahead of Jennings at times by coach Stan Van Gundy to teach the latter a lesson or two.

It needs to be pointed out that it’s not fair to blame everything on Josh Smith. That’s not really the implication here. Andre Drummond has nearly played his way into untradeable territory since a slow start, but he started to turn his season around before the Pistons waived Smith. Fantasy owners would be wise to view the early season struggles as nothing more than a mirage that will be forever forgotten.

The currently fiery Drummond is the real deal and is averaging 16 rebounds per game over his last 10 to go along with a few 20-point games and his usual blocked shot numbers. More importantly, he continues to get his field-goal percentage up, which had been hovering around an uncharacteristic 40 percent a month into the season. The opportunities will be there for Drummond to begin returning elite top-round value for his fantasy owners. In keeper and dynasty leagues, he is simply untradeable.

Let’s get back to Smith. His move to the Rockets has resulted in play and stat lines that would most closely resemble a roller coaster. At this point, it’s hard to see the benefit in owning Smith in most fantasy leagues. When the Pistons were playing him heavy minutes, he actually held decent value despite a mediocre shooting percentage, as poor decision making has never really truly translated negatively into fantasy box scores. The Rockets originally promised him a starting role, but it simply wasn’t working out from a chemistry standpoint, and they are currently bringing him off the bench.

It’s possible he could work his way back into that starting lineup eventually if he gets more comfortable with his new teammates; he is after all a talented player who can help a team if he is deployed correctly. At that point, he might begin to regain some fantasy value. One telling stat is that his free-throw percentage is sitting at only 44 percent, despite the fact that he shot 72 percent from the line during one season with the Atlanta Hawks. That disparity reeks of an issue with concentration, a lack of caring, or both. If he is able to mentally accept his new role with the Rockets, he can be a big boost to their aspirations as a team. He can be a great player. As an individual however, his days of doing whatever he wants on offense appear to be numbered.

While it seemed as though Smith’s acquisition would have killed the value of some incumbents on the Rockets’ roster, Donatas Motiejunas has retained his low-end value and has been starting instead of Smith recently. If Terrence Jones is actually able to return to the team this year, it will provide for an intriguing minutes discussion. Trevor Ariza‘s value couldn’t get lower, and he is a candidate to bounce back from here on out. His 36 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point land don’t come close to last year’s 46 percent and 41 percent, respectfully (did someone mention something earlier about playing better in a contract year?).

In the end, the Rockets added a unique piece in Smith and will be better in the long term for it. He should be able to help them and they are getting him for pennies on the dollar. Meanwhile the Pistons subtracted that same player and are clearly better for it. This is just the latest example that proves that chemistry and the team a player plays for can impact his performance on the court, and likewise his fantasy value.

Quick Bits

It’s hard to imagine JR Smith or Iman Shumpert providing anything to their new Cavs squad but complimentary play, so they can be ignored in most fantasy leagues. Larry Sanders can be dropped in standard leagues, but don’t forget about him—he could return and get right back in the groove. Zach Randolph is getting closer to a return for the Grizzlies, and nothing suggests that the reliable Z-Bo will be anything but a big-time boost for fantasy owners.

Carmelo Anthony could miss the rest of the season, but it might actually be just as likely that he returns from this short rest fully healthy and ready to dominate. It’s impossible to say, but if you can acquire Melo for a very small price, it might be worth the gamble. Just don’t trade anybody you actually care about.

Keep a close eye on Hassan Whiteside, who is taking advantage of his opportunity thanks to the lack of Heat big men with 14 blocks in the last four games. Al Jefferson will continue to sit out for a while, which has led to a mini-emergence by Cody Zeller. Fantasy owners had already noticed his brother Tyler Zeller come into his own earlier in the season for the Boston Celtics. In other news, Deron Williams is done as a top fantasy player (for real this time), and with a new rib injury. After a surprising—but really not that surprising—benching, it’s finally time to move on.

Dan Hanna is SLAM’s weekly fantasy basketball columnist and a life-long Bulls fan. Follow him on Twitter @i_am_danhan. For advice on your fantasy team, post questions in the comments section.

Former Sacramento Kings center Hassan Whiteside is set to have a workout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whiteside, who averaged 5.4 blocks per game as a collegiate standout at Marshall in 2010, played in only 19 games with the Kings due to a litany of injuries. More details, via ESPN.com: “Minnesota Timberwolves regional scout Milton Barnes saw enough in a recent pickup game from Hassan Whiteside that he convinced team officials to take a longer look at the free agent center. According to a source, the Wolves are flying Whiteside into the Twin Cities on Wednesday and will put him through a workout Thursday. Whiteside was the 33rd pick in the 2010 draft by Sacramento. He has spent a majority of his two years playing in the D-League. He has been working out in Houston with former NBA coach John Lucas and free agent Andray Blatche. The Wolves are intent on adding another big man before training camp begins on Oct. 2. They have just the veteran’s minimum to offer a free agent unless they make a trade to free up more salary cap space.”

Social Media played a major role to keep the Kings in Sacramento for at least one more year. And now, it’s playing a vital role to bring basketball back to California’s capital during the NBA Lockout.

Kings forward Donté Greene is organizing a charity exhibition game for the Sacramento region, thanks in large part to Twitter. A Sacramento Kings fan tweeted the idea yesterday to Greene, who took the message to heart and put the thought into action.

Speaking to KHTK Radio in Sacramento this afternoon, Greene said he’s already reached out to a number of NBA players who are interested in playing in the game dubbed the Goon Squad Classic. Greene said Kings teammates DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside, Jason Thompson and rookie Isaiah Thomas have expressed their desire to play. The Kings forward also said that Washington Wizards point guard John Wall has interest as well.

“We’re definitely going to go out there and play,” Greene said in a phone interview on the Carmichael Dave Show. “It won’t be no nonchalant game. I’ma tell guys let’s come out and put on a show. Give the fans something to look forward to.”

New Kings big man JJ Hickson announced on Twitter last evening that he would play, too. Greene has also extended invitations to DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers, Jonny Flynn of the Houston Rockets, Matt Barnes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings teammates Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette.

“I don’t think he wants the upper-decker so he might want to show up to the game,” Greene said jokingly of a rookie hazing ritual Fredette could face if he doesn’t play.

Planning is still in the early stages, so a venue is still up in the air. With the ongoing labor strife between players and owners, Power Balance Pavilion is off limits. Greene said the Pavilion on the campus of UC Davis, which seats 8,000 at maximum capacity, is his preferred option.

“Right now there’s nothing set in stone,” Greene said. “Everything is (a) blueprint. UC Davis isn’t even set. That’s just a site I would like to host it at. But we’re still in talks with them.”

Greene would like to host the game the weekend before Thanksgiving, just a few days before the NBA season is scheduled to start if a new labor deal is reached in time. He’s hoping to get tickets on sale by November 1st.

Charities for the game are still being determined. However, the Kings forward said he would like some of the proceeds to go towards breast cancer awareness.

“That’s my charity (because) my mom had breast cancer,” he said. “That would be one of the charities that I’m definitely going to donate to is breast cancer.”

Sponsorship for the game is also being explored. Greene sent an open invitation to local Sacramento businesses to get involved. But he also said he will reach out to Nike, which has been sponsoring many of the exhibitions that have been played during the lockout.

“Nike sponsors most of the games and of course I’ll call Nike try to get them to sponsor this game,” Greene said. “Basketball Never Stops—that’s the slogan.”